Search for missing 3 suspended

The search for three men, one a Papua New Guinean, missing following a boat mishap near Port Moresby was suspended on Monday, according to the Papua New Guinea Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (PNGMRCC). The three, two from Fiji, worked for accountancy firm KPMG The centre, in conjunction with the Joint Rescue Coordinating Centre Australia (JRCC), suspended the search operation after receiving indications from an Australian survival expert that the time frame for survival would have expired on Monday afternoon. According to information from the National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA), the men boarded a boat and went out to nearby Fisherman Island. NMSA general manager Paul Unas confirmed three of the four were still missing. The RYPC reported that there was no radio communication with the boat or notification of their departure. It is alleged that the boat capsized on Saturday afternoon, leaving only one survivor, a 32-year-old national. The Papua New Guinean who survived apparently swam to an island after the boat capsized during their fishing trip in rough seas. The general manager of the yacht club, Aaron Batts, told PNG TV that at about 7.30am on Saturday, a vessel named Aquatica, a 23-foot Haynes Hunter, with four people on board, departed the club. The survivor was found on Idiha Island on Sunday and rescued by a search chopper. Authorities hauled in the vessel owned by one of the missing men. It was found a kilometre from Idiha Island. Still missing are Praneel Nand, a tax partner from Australia on secondment to PNG, Kapil Sukal, a Fiji office staff member on secondment here, both from Fiji, and Geana Gaigo, a Papua New Guinean.